Predicting the consequences of vocalizations in early infancy

This paper describes a method to study the infant’s ability to predict the consequences of its vocalizations and presents the first results of the on-going investigation. The research method uses a voice-controlled device, with which the infant may control the position of a figure on a screen, in combination with an eye-tracking system (Tobii) that simultaneously registers the infant’s gaze fixations on the screen where the figure appears. The preliminary results indicate that 12.5 month-old infants seem to be able to predict the consequences of their vocalizations as indicated by the decrease in the mismatch between the infant’s gaze position and the location at which the figure is displayed as a function of the infant’s F0. [Work supported by grants from the Bank of Sweden Tercentenary Foundation (MILLE, K2003-0867) and EU NEST program (CONTACT, 5010).]